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The Friends of the Walpole Public Library held their annual meeting in December with Dr. John Warren, Archivist of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as keynote speaker. President Philip Czachorowski summarized the year and recognized retiring officers and board members, as well as the ongoing work of volunteers. Sally Rose was reelected as treasurer and Audree Dyson, Mary O’Brien, Ken Simpson, and Linda Winslow were re-elected as board members.
In 2018, the Library Friends sponsored 55 programs with a combined total attendance of over 2,000 people. One of the year’s big projects was the ART in the PARK, an installation of artworks by local artists at Bird Park and the Walpole Public Library Garden. The Library Friends were joined by the Trustees of Reservations and the Council on Aging in sponsoring the project.
Czachorowski gave certificates of appreciation to retiring officers: Vice President Kristin Moses, Board Member Ellen Curran, and Board Member and Book Sale Coordinator Diane Scotti. Scotti was also recognized, along with Maura O’Gara of the Trustees of Reservations and Ora McGuire of the Walpole Senior Center, for co-chairing the ART in the PARK. Book Sale volunteers were also recognized: Joanne Quinn, Susan Cushing, Ellen Grant, and Janice Raftery. Barry Oremland was recognized for his service as Publicity Director and Brendan Sheehan for serving on the Program Committee.
Dr. John Warren.
Finally, Hollingsworth and Vose was recognized for their generous support of the Library Friends and Colin Harding and his family recognized for their generous support of children’s programs. The Library Friends have established the “Eleanor 'Soosie' Harding Children’s Program” in honor of Eleanor Harding, the first children's librarian at the Walpole Public Library, who served from 1930 to 1938.
